1978 Lancia 1600 HPE (High Performance Estate) started at £5,438. It was an impressive sight with its distinctly eager 1600cc twin-cam engine with aluminum head and twin-choke carburetor with drove the front wheels. The top speed was 108 mph and had a 5-speed gearbox. The handling, helped by all-round independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes was superb.

The interior had a complete array of instruments including rev counter, oil level, oil temperature and oil pressure gauges, topped with a quartz clock. The accommodations was for five, with integral headrests on the front seats and wrap-round rear seats with tons of leg room, front and rear. You had a choice of luxurious hardwearing cloth or PVC. Although the rear seats looked continuous, they were in fact separate. You could fold both of them forward, or just one, to carry a long load and a third passenger. Open the rear hatch and you find 42 cu.ft. of luggage space.

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The 1982 Mitsubishi Mirage II Panther was described as “the hatchback that handles like a sports car” with its 1410cc overhead can engine with electronic ignition. It achieved quick and quiet acceleration from 0-60 in 8.7 seconds. Engineered features included front wheel drive, rack and pinion steering, fully independent suspension, power assisted from disc brakes and radial or steel belted tires. (image source: John Lloyd)

Standard features included push button radio, quartz clock, adjustable front seats, head restraints, remote control driver’s door mirror, halogen headlamps, tailgate wash/wipe and a unique “Econometer” which told you at a glance your maximum economy at a given speed.

Due to significant engineering breakthroughs, the 1980 Austin Metro was designed to g0 12,000 or one full year between services of any kind. Each car had brake pad sensors to let you know when to change the pads. Self cleaning sliding contact points are standard, as was a long-life battery which only needed topping once a year.

An enlarged oil filter element and long-life spark plugs which did not need cleaning were standard as well.

With its new A-Plus engine and refined, positive gear box, the Metro delivered great performance and great economy. The 1.3 HLS topped 96 MPH and had a 0-60 time of 12.3 seconds. The HLE achieved a 62 MPH rating at 50 MPH and an astonoshing 83 MPG at 30 MPH.

In the interior, the asymmetric Split-Action rear seat is split one third/two thirds making it uniquely versatile. When both seats are folded down, you have 45.7 cubic feet of load space. It had better visibility with its huge glass area and the doors were extra wide so getting in and out was easy. It had a stating MSRP of £3,095

The MG Maestro 1600 was a no nonsense rugged, reliable and luxurious 5-door hatchback. The 1600ccR series engine with two twin choke carburetors and five speed gearbox delivered truly impressive performance. It achived a 0-60 time in 9.6 seconds flat with a top speed of 111 MPH. Its front wheel drive, low profile tires and wide alloy wheels gave it crisp handling and a smooth ride. It had flush glazing, an integrated front spoiler and aerodynamic strakes and spoiler around the rear window. The refinements on the inside included the sporty, close ratio five speed box, padded leather-bound steering wheel, body hugging sports seats and the latest electronic instrumentation including a digital speedometer and a trip computer. It even had a unique voice synthesizer that was programmed to speak on fifteen different topics – from suggesting you put your seat belts on to warning you that you’ve left your lights on.

In 1989 Volkswagen created the Golf Rallye, the car featured four-wheel-drive with a heavily revised supercharged 1.8 engine. The Rallye has a top speed of 130 mph and 0-60 mph in 7.6 seconds. The engine produces 160 bhp at 5600 rpm due to the compression ratio of 8:1 and maximum supercharged boost pressure of 0.56 bar.

The Rallye sits on 6Jx15 multi-spoke alloy wheels, shod in 205/50VR-15 tyres. The car has a similar suspension set up to the 16-valve, except that the springs and shock absorbers have higher damping rates and stronger anti-roll bars. The bodywork was improved with redesigned front and rear bumpers with deaper aprons, the legendary steel box arches and rectangular head lights incorporated in a three-bar grille.

Only 5071 Rallyes were built and less than 70 were officially imported into the UK. Many on the Continent had basic GTI spec interiors, however most of the UK ones had ‘Lux Specification’ half-leather, electric windows and sunroof. (source: 4 Star Classics)

The 1984 Honda Accord had style, per for,acne and power. It had a 1.6 liter engine for the deluxe models and a 1.8 liter for the Executives – both with a 12-valve crossflow that had 3 valves per cylinder giving it greater efficiency, more lively performance and all-around economy. Transmission options included either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed fully automatic unit including overdrive, with an advanced direct-drive-lock-up clutch for an extremely smooth drive. Its concealed wipers, an upswept tailgate and an agresive slant nose gave it slippery aerodynamic lines.

The 1984 Vauxhall Nova RS took 10.6 seconds to get from 0-60 MPH and had a top speed of 103. It has a 1.3 liter OHC engine that produced 70 HP and was linked to a 5-speed manual gearbox. With its upgraded suspension, low profile tires and a pair of purposeful spoilers, it had a fairly enjoyable ride.

$5,499 was a down payment for most cars but for the 1989 Hyundai Excel, it was the MSRP and came with more standard features than any other car in its class. Like reclining bucket seats, plush cut-pile carpeting and five all-season steel belted radials. Plus, it had front wheel drive and room for five adults. It even came with free membership to the Cross Country Motor Club and a 36-month/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper limited warranty with no deductible.

The 1979 rear wheel drive Toyota Starlet GL 1000 5-door had a 993 cc, four cylinder engine reaching a minimum speed of 84 MPH and got 48.3 MPG. It was a dream to drive with its rack and pinion steering and looked great with its smooth lines and wind tunnel tested profile giving it a low drag coefficient body.

It was fired with MacPherson strut-type suspension at the front and four-link location coil spring suspension at the back. It even had some pretty high safety standards like collapsible steering column and the body structure was designed to adsorb the maximum amount of energy on impact.

This concept by David Obendorfer, with substantially different proportions in comparison with the original model, proposes a modern interpretation of Pio Manzù’s masterpiece, the legendary Fiat 127. (source: David Obendorfer)